German protected cruisers such as . As a result of the competing design requirements—a high top speed necessary for a fleet scout, very long cruising radius for a commerce raider, and the firepower necessary in the colonies—the resulting design was unsatisfactory. Gefion, classified as a cruiser-corvette, was authorized in the 1890–91 budget and named for the earlier sail frigate . The contract for her construction was awarded to Schichau-Werke in late 1891. She was the last unprotected cruiser built by the Kaiserliche Marine (Imperial Navy); thereafter, the Germans built the of light cruisers to fill the need for small, overseas cruisers. General characteristics and machinery Gefion was long at the waterline and long overall. She had a beam of and had a draft of forward and aft. She was designed to displace , but with a full ammunition, stores, and fuel load she displaced up to . The hull was constructed from transverse and longitudinal steel frames, except for the lower stem and stern parts, which were made of bronze. The frames were covered with wood planking and a metal sheath that extended to above the waterline to reduce fouling. She was fitted with a fore and main pole mast with spotting tops to aid her gunnery. The ship had a crew of 13 officers and 289 enlisted men. She carried a number of small boats, including one picket boat, one pinnace, two cutters, two yawls, and one dinghy. Gefion was crank, rolled badly, and made severe leeway, and her decks were wet in a head sea. She nevertheless maneuvered well and had a tight turning radius. She had a metacentric height of . Steering was controlled by a single rudder. Gefion was powered by two vertical, 3-cylinder triple expansion engines, which drove a pair of 3-bladed screw propellers that were in diameter. Steam was provided by six coal-fired, transverse, cylindrical, double water-tube boilers, which were trunked into three vertical funnels. The engines were designed to produce for a top speed of . On trials, her engines produced and a speed of . The ship could store up to of coal, which enabled her to steam for at a cruising speed of . Electrical power was provided by three generators, which supplied a total output of at 67 volts. Armament and armor Gefion was originally to be armed with guns, but the main battery was revised to fifteen SK L/35